Family of rope droppers ready for some MAGIC! July 2021 trip report

[Flavita]

Review of our day @ AK (7/10) (part III)

After Rafiki’s planet, we got back to Asia for our ADR

3:00 pm: Yak and Yeti

Thank you all who recommended Yak and Yeti on this thread

Tusker house or Yak and Yeti (for lunch)?

Hello liners, please help me decide! We have a picky eater in our family and are not necessarily looking for character dining experience. Considering only food (variety and quality) and the overall atmosphere, which one would you choose? Thank you!

This was the best meal we had on this trip (so far). It was now with Sanaa and Jiko on our list of favorite restaurants.

I had the chicken tikka masala. DH had the vegetable noodles, and said it was the best he has ever had.

The most surprising thing is, my picky eater loved her meal as well! I was worried (I mean, this is the girl who said “there is nothing I eat here, mom” at Woody’s Lunch box)! I suggested to ask the server if it was ok to order from the kids menu for her, but she said no (“mom, it says - 9 and under, I’m 11”). She got the fried chicken and asked for a side of white rice. It was delicious, she said.

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4:30 pm: Maharajah Jungle Trek

This was the highlight of our day!

A little bit of background here: DD8 says she wants to be a wildlife vet and move to Australia (um… ok ). She loves all sorts of books and videos about animals, but she is particularly interested in lizards.

Do you know how many times we heard her talk abou Komodo dragons? And guess what was the first thing we see at the Jungle Trek? She was so happy!

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The other exhibit we thought was really cool was the one with giant bats. I had never seen anything like it

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5:00, the wait times are much lower so we went back to doing a few more attractions

5:00pm (~ 5 min wait): It’s tough to be a bug
This is one of my favorite shows in all WDW. It’s also a good opportunity for beautiful pictures near the tree, especially this time of the day

5:40 pm (< 5 min wait) Kilimanjaro safaris

The line for this one got super long (>30 min) after 10 am, but at this time of the day it was essentially a walk-on. With the sun down, it’s more pleasant and the pictures turn out better, so I prefer to do this one towards park close.

7:00 pm (15 min wait): Na’vi river journey

Right at park close we got in line for Na’vi. DH and DD8 had already done it, while myself and DD11 rode Everest (they don’t like thrill rides), but they didn’t mind going on it again. I imagine it shows how Pandora is at night… it was good way to end the day!

Without the crowd in Pandora we stopped for a photo

This was hands down our best day! And the only park I think I can manage to tour efficiently without FPP

[Flavita]

Thought you would like to see this @vcka.

These crocs look really nice and comfy.
I showed DH, but he didn’t like the Mickey print

[bebe80]

I wear those exact style crocs to tour the parks!

[Flavita]

Tomorrow I will be writing the review of my MK day (which we did yesterday)…

That was a tough day. I’m still traumatized by the amount of time I spent in line for Space Mountain. Emotionally and physically (ask my sore ankles and feet)

#IneedFPPnow
#BringbackFPPplease
#Icantwaitinlineanymore

[Tall_Paul1]

I wear those exact style crocs

Me too! Wore them to work today. Super comfy.

[bebe80]

Old and new. Slightly different.

[bebe80]

the only park I think I can manage to tour efficiently without FPP

That’s a great point. FOP at rope drop and Navi at close.

It sure looks like you did have a great day. I’m glad you all liked Y&Y, especially DD!

[Flavita]

You and @Tall_Paul1 have a good taste. Now you need to get one with a Mickey print!

[bebe80]

I dunno. A Mickey Mouse stamp on my shoe? This is about as far as I go with the mouse:

[OBNurseNH]

I just LOVE watching the bats

Looks like a fantastic day!

My DD17 still orders from the kids’ menu sometimes

[OBNurseNH]

This is one of those “I can smell this picture” photos

[Flavita]

I can smell this picture”

I’m laughing so hard

[vcka]

Thank you for thinking of me. My DH would look at me and shake his head and say something about… “What is it w/ you and manly shoes?!?” He HATES my Doc Martins

[Flavita]

Day#3 Magic Kingdom (7/11) (part I)
Rope drop- Park close
My TP included the headliners plus rides I didn’t get to do in 2020. We already did things like PPF and WPooh, so I didn’t feel like doing those again. Didn’t include Tiki or Dumbo and Aladdin, we don’t like those rides.

Rope drop

• 7:20 am: Arrived at BW bus stop:
  A few families already there, but enough to fit in one bus
• 7:50 am: First bus arrives
• 8:08 am: Bus arrives at MK
• 8:14 am: Through tapstiles (already open); crowd headed to 7DMT held near Cheshire Cafe.

Not so fun part: we were held until 9:02! What? That’s after scheduled park opening time! Also it’s a long time to be packed shoulder to shoulder. And it was hot. Little kids crying impatient. My own family getting impatient too and cranky. Technically we can’t complain, but it was not what I expected. There was A LOT of people rope dropping7DMT.

• 9:07 am: In line for 7DMT

9:07 am - Ride #1: 7DMT (25 min wait)
Even though we were towards the front of the pack, still a significant wait. By the time we finished this ride, the line to Space Mountain, which I had planned to do next- was too long (~ 40 min). We went to Tomorrow land and started to tackle rides with short wait.

DH and DD8 were a little cranky that morning, wanted to do the stinky car ride (speedway something). I can’t stand that ride, but no problem, they went there and DD11 and I went to Astro Orbiter

9:36 am: Ride #2: (11 min wait) Astro Orbiter
I had never done this one and wanted to get it out of the way earlier in the day. These 11 min felt like a lot longer, mostly because it’s super frustrating to see how slow this ride loads. Seriously, there was maybe 2-3 other groups in front of us. It took forever. It was fun to see the park from above, but it’s also a very short ride. I don’t plan to ride this again for another decade, maybe never.

DH calls me to say he is frustrated because the Speedway ride was posted 15 min and it was taking longer than that.

9:59 am - Ride # 3 &4: People Mover (<5 min wait)
Like AstroOrbiter, this was on my must-do list because I’d never done it before. In 2020 when I visited it was down. I loved this ride! It saved my morning… I texted DH to meet us there after his ride and I went on it again, now the 4 of us.
DH and the entire crew are cranky and want to stop to eat something (guess that’s what it’s called “hangry”). The lines for coffee at those Joffrey’s stands are too long, so I MO at the nearest quick service Cosmic Ray’s cafe.

10:35 am. Break. Cosmic Ray’s cafe
The place was empty, which was very nice and relaxing. DD8 loved the animatronic. Got 2 Cheshire Cat tail pastries, coffee and juice for the kids. That was like pixie dust. Family is suddenly all happy again. Looking at MDE and Lines, most rides had really long wait times at 10:30. But Mermaid didn’t, so we went back to Fantasyland.

10:50 am. Ride #5: Little Mermaid (10 min wait)
This ride doesn’t seem to get the attention it deserves.

Next we go to Skipper Canteen for our 11:30 ADR
(to be continued…)
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Main Street at rope drop

o
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A lot of people to RD 7DMT. Close to 9, the crowd seems to extend all the way to the hub.

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This takes forever!!

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A nice and relaxing ride. Love it!

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Cosmic ray’s for a quick snack in the morning. The place is empty at 10:30 am

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Little mermaid is one of my favorites

[Jeff_AZ]

Are they still doing pandemic loading at AstroOrbiter? ie, one party per elevator, regardless of party size? It made for glacial loading. Thank goodness we were one of the first 5-6 parties in line when we went in June, so it didn’t take too long for us, but I felt bad for people behind us in line. They really need an escalator or stairs or something.

[Flavita]

No pandemic loading. Everything is back to normal, except in the buses and skyliner where masks are required and enforced.

[OBNurseNH]

And monorail

[kjsprouse_577366]

How frustrating to be held in RD for so long! We missed RD on our MK morning in June so ended up riding 7DMT on last ride of the day. I want to end all MK days this way! It was so beautiful at night and we walked out of an empty park which was so fun.

We also waited in a “short” astro orbitor line. I feel your pain!

[Flavita]

Day#3 Magic Kingdom (7/11) (part II)
Once the morning rush (first 2 hours of park open) is over, it’s time to relax. At 11 most lines are 40+ min, but the park doesn’t feel too crowded.
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Walking in Fantasyland…. Question: is this too much?

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On the way to our ADR, we ran into @missoverexcited

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11:20 am: Skipper Canteen

We checked in early from the app (ha, lesson learned!), but it didn’t matter because the restaurant opens at 11:30.
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We waited a little bit, no problem. Chance to take some pictures

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I love to take the first reservation slot and walk into an empty restaurant (did that before at Crystal Place) A chance to appreciate the atmosphere.

DD8 got the S…something slush, DD11 the Punch Line Punch, and I got a sangria. All approved.

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The menu is interesting, but we thought the food was overall…. Ok (not too bad, but not the best). The pao de queijo is a bit too dry (the ones we buy in TX are better), but we enjoyed eating it with chimichurri sauce - an interesting combination I’d never tried before.

The steak wasn’t very tender, but it came with farofa! That is difficult to find in restaurants, not even Brazilian steakhouses have it. I “stole” a little from DD. Both DH and I thought the pork was too dry.

Overall it was a good experience though.

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12:30 pm: Swiss family treehouse
I love this attraction!
In 2005 Disney trip when DH and I were engaged, I remember saying to him “Can we just live here?” He says “Here, in Orlando?” Me: “No, here”[pointing to one the treehouse rooms]

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12:45 pm: Tom Sawyer island
I always wanted to experience this, but somehow it never worked out in previous visits. I had this on my must-do list along with People Mover and Haunted Mansion.

We loved it! What a charming island full of places to explore! Simply the best place to hide from mid-day crowds. Only one problem - the heat. But we had cooling towels and a fan and that helped a lot.
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The line of BTMR was so long it wrapped around the dock to TS island (not shown here)

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You get to see BTMR from a different angle from the island

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Interesting places to visit and hide from the crowd

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Escape tunnel: we went through it. Not recommended if you are claustrophobic

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The raft ride is fun in itself (though short)

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1:35 pm: Aloha Isle
It was hot then! Time for a Dole Whip float!

I got the Kakamora float, but the girls wanted the pineapple float. I said to DD11 “I think you should get the Kakamora float, I know you are going to like it more”. Then DD11 after trying Kakamora “This is so much better. I will get it next time” me: “Next time, you got to listen to you mama! Haha”

Kakamora 2 : Pineapple 0

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I want to be where the people aren’t

(To be continued)

[Flavita]

ended up riding 7DMT on last ride of the day. I want to end all MK days this way! It was so beautiful at night

Yeah, rope dropping MK was not worth it.